Harvest Moon: Substance
by Rommel1
Summary: Rommel, a former farmer and now CT operative, is tortured with a painful past life. His mission now is investigate a terrorist movement in Mineral Town, but he can't help but wonder why this town would be targetted... Please R&R. UPDATED 1504


Harvest Moon: Substance

By Malcolm

By all means this is a work of fan fiction. Names are borrowed from Harvest Moon and Metal Gear Solid titles, or similar. Original characters the likes of Rommel and Steelfox are concepts not entirely original. I also claim no title to the names of Glock, Sig Arms, Fabrique Nationale, Colt, Avtomat Kalashnikov, Israel Military Industries or other trademarked companies.

      My feet almost gave way underneath me standing before the committee for so long. They had me here for a reason, and I would know soon enough. I always feared coming here. I knew that every time that they did, I would be the one doing the work that they weren't willing to do. I was straining my eyes, keeping them open, I couldn't focus. Finally, someone spoke to me.

      "Rommel," the voice had an authoritative tone, but it was far from intimidating, "We're calling you here for a mission of the utmost importance."

      These words sounded trite to me, but I listened nonetheless, "We understand that you have not been called into duty for some time. We realize how important the country is, and your connections with the townsfolk. The reason we are calling you is because we know that you are proficient in the ways of assassination, sneaking, self-disguise, negotiation and usage of fire-arms. We also need you for your knowledge in the ways of Farming..."

      I slowly lifted my head up to see the committee-man speaking to me. He was straight faced, never hesitating in a thing he said. He continued, "In a nearby town, we have reason to believe that a secret underground Revolutionary group is using hijacked nuclear weapons for as-of-yet unknown reasons. We're fairly certain they have hostile intent, so we're sending in our best men to investigate."

      It sounded to me like I wouldn't be alone in this mission. For once, they were giving me a partner or a team to work with.

      "However, we have lost contact with all other operatives sent in to this town. The situation is tight," I could swear I saw a single bead of sweat run down his face as he said this. As usual, I remained motionless. The only thoughts in my head were of the country side. I had a wonderful life before all of this. I lived on a profitable farm. I knew everyone around me. And then one day, it all came to a complete stop... my future was changed forever.

---

      It all started back when I was younger. Only 21 years old. I had inherited the farm from my Grandfather, and not being able to get used to the City life, I jumped on the opportunity to join Rose Bud Village as their new farmer. It was only 3 years into this new life when it all came crashing down around me in a cascade of crying faces and rivers of crimson blood... I was in my bed, it was dark out, only about 9pm. I had had a hard day, so I was in bed early... Looking out of my window, smiling, I recalled on how happy and idyllic everything seemed. Then there was a flash. A swelling red light that burned into my brain. My heart stopped, and I jumped out of bed. Looking closer I could see the red light had left behind waves of burning flames. I ran to investigate, and the images before me sank into me like a cold dagger of twisted fate. The town was aflame. People ran screaming for their families. Armed men were scrambling about, rounding up the people and screaming at them to kneel on the ground. There were already several dead, apparently shot to the back of the head. Something within me had snapped, and everything went black.

      I woke up on the ground in the town square, and several men were standing over me, their guns drawn. They seemed to be regarding me cautiously. I moved my head slowly from side to side, feeling the grain of the cement digging into my head. The town was leveled, burned. Everything lay in ruins, my life included. The armed men standing over me lowered their guns, and one spoke to me.

      "Are you alright?" he had a youthful voice, it was comforting to hear him. However, I couldn't speak. My brain was swelling to the limits of my skull, and my eyes felt like they were going to bulge out at any moment. I closed my eyes to prevent them from doing so.

      "Do you have any idea what has happened?" He spoke slowly to me, as if I were a child, "Do you remember what happened last night?"

      My voice wasn't working, so I just nodded slightly with my mouth agape, wanting to scream.

      "This town was targeted by a terrorist organization. You are responsible for the death of all of these terrorists. Do you remember anything about this?" He was still speaking slowly. My eyes widened in a horrific stare. My voice returned, "What?"

      "We found you here, with a gun in your hand, and all of the assailants shot to death. You are the only survivor," My heart sank again. Everyone was dead. But what had I done?

      "What we believe happened was a separation of consciences. You became someone else, and acted in self-defense," some of the men began to walk off, and he lowered down next to me, "Can you move?"

      I hadn't tried moving until he told me this. I slowly started to move to sit up, and he helped me. My waist felt as if it had been crushed, my legs were asleep, and shocks of pain circulated throughout my body in an agonizing wave. I would have screamed if I could have.

      "Get a stretcher," the man looked off to his crew, and I was hauled off.

      As it had turned out, I had suffered from a form of temporary insanity. Seeing the village being destroyed before me caused a "separation of consciences" and acting on a whim, I approached one of the terrorists, broke his neck with new-found strength. The other terrorists, seeing this, began to open fire on me, but I was running, a stolen gun in hand, killing these armed men without a second thought. Having this told to me, I was relieved, thinking that I may have saved the village, but it was quite the contrary. My reaction was too late, and everyone I had known and loved was dead. Murdered. The people that had picked me up were a government agency sent to dispatch the attacking terrorists. The terrorists as it turned out, were a rather undersized group with ambitions of getting rich by holding important people hostage. They also apparently thought that they could get government recognition with attacks on civilians. Now every last one of them lay dead by my hand. The agency who picked me up said they had no choice but to hold me in solitude and submit me to psyche tests, unless ofcourse I was to work with them in their special operations unit. I wasn't familiar with the world, I had lived in a farm. I decided to work for them, thinking that I could wrap my hands around the neck of injustice and crush it with awesome force. For 6 years, I was what they called their best man. The most efficient killing machine they had, and often times I was a trump-card for when things got really dangerous.

---

      "Make contact with these lost officers. Disguise yourself as a common farmer, get to know the people, and investigate the origins and intents of the nuclear weapons and report to us. You will only be able to contact us with periodic updates, as we have no other ways to keep in constant communication with you."

      Something about this mission seemed unusual. I was to stay in this village for an extended period, to actually become a villager. I was uncomfortable, afraid that what had happened to my village would happen again. However, my hardened soul disregarded this and accepted the mission. I could feel my head swelling as they dropped me off several miles from the village. This would be the start of a new life, it seemed.

      My backpack was loaded with standard gear. There was a hoe, a watering can, a hammer, a sickle and an axe. Under my left shoulder was a holster carrying a 9mm USP9. I had a few spare magazines and a box of ammunition in my bag. My wallet identified me as Rommel McAllister, and it contained a mere 1000G in bills. I came into town through the town gates, watching a festival taking place. There were girls dancing around, and the men getting drunk. I was introduced to the Mayor of the town, who welcomed me with open arms.

      "Welcome, Rommel! We're so happy to have you to join our little town!" His voice was full of enthusiasm. Arrangements had been set up before I got there involving my arrival. It seemed that I was set up to inherit a farm from a farmer who had recently passed away...

      Mayor Thomas led me to the farm. It was an expansive field of rocks and unhealthy looking weeds. They supplied me with the previous owner's cabin, a barn, a hen-house. Everything I was so familiar with. The mayor bid me farewell and I entered my cabin. The old house was a single room overgrown with cobwebs, and dust had built up over most of everything. The town had supplied me with a new bed, but besides that, the whole room was ancient. However it was homelier than the metal bunk-beds I was living in before. I dusted off a chair and took a seat at polished wooden table. I unloaded my bag, taking out my box of munitions and placing my gun on the table. As usual, I was sent into action with the bare minimum load out. I had several hundred 9mm bullets and a total of 3 magazines. The room was deadly quiet. Off in the distance I could hear music and people's voices. I sat in here alone, pushing live ammunition into magazines while cigarette smoke filled the room. I knew the nature of my mission, but everything seemed so unnecessary in such a quaint village. I thought I could feel my eyes getting watery.

      Later that day I headed out into the fields with a sickle and hammer. I cleared out my fields until it began to get dark. Work was exhausting during the spring days. The air was light, and the sun's heat was punishing. Each breath I drew seemed to only fill half of my lungs. I might need to quit smoking. At about 7:30 or so, I headed back in to change out of my sweat-soaked clothes. Because of the festivities of the new year, I thought I may be able to meet some of the townsfolk. I took my holster under my jack and loaded up the USP. I headed for the bar...

      The bar was run by a man named Doug. It was right off of the town-square, so the drunken partiers from earlier in the day just poured into the Bar after the sun had gone down. The scene was a lively place, full of smiling faces and lively attitudes. A few people looked at me suspiciously, which they had every right to. I was notoriously quiet, and didn't attempt to make conversation. To be honest, I wanted to know everyone and talk all night, but I felt that I had no place to. Taking a seat at the bar, Doug himself came up to me.

      "Evening, sir," he slid a coaster over to me, "What'll it be?"

      "What's good?" I tried speaking to him as casually as I could.

      He pulled a menu from the table and raised an eyebrow, "Hmmm... Well, you could always try the local brew."

      I agreed to try the local brew and brought me a glass. It was really quite good. Hearing me compliment the drink he leaned over to me.

      "So you're the new guy in town, right?" I looked up at him from my glass, "I think its always nice to have visitors, you know?"

      I was getting a little nervous...

      "The name's Doug. I'm pleased to have you," he held out his hand and I grabbed it.

      "I'm Rommel. Pleasure to meet you, sir," I was acting a little too formal, I thought.

      "Say, Rommel. Have you met my daughter?" I started breathing easier again, he just wanted me to meet his daughter... "She works here with me. She's really been a great help since her mother died..."

      He pointed over to another table, and I turned to see. There a girl was talking to some customers with a pretty smile on her face. She had orangish hair, which was pulled back in a single braid, and was wearing overalls over a sleeveless shirt. She reminded me of the young ladies that I would see around the old village. Seeing her, my eyes were locked. It wasn't love, per se, but an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. Everything about Rose Bud Village was coming back to me in a painful torrent of memories. I shook my head and looked back at Doug. He started to speak again.

      "I love Ann, I really do, but sometimes I wish she would just settle down with some steady guy and get married. Sometimes I think she's too much of a tomboy for it, though..." he had a sad look in his eyes saying this, "Tell me, Rommel. What do you think of her?"

      I took another heavy sip of my drink and looked back at him. I really didn't think to myself that I had the time for girls or relationships, but I'd be lying if I said I wanted nothing to do with them.

      "Well, she's very pretty..." I looked back at her but my attention focused on someone else. Doug started talking to me again as I continued to look back.

      "Well, it's good to hear you say that, Rommel!"

      Up against the wall behind the table Ann was serving, was a man, his face obscured by a baseball cap. He had heavy khaki pants and a bulky jacket. He was glancing about the room suspiciously. His eyes met mine for a split second and he started to move away, cautiously. I thanked Doug and slapped a 200G note on the table. The man was moving up the steps, and seemed to be looking back at me periodically. His step increased when he saw me get up from the bar. People were gathered in crowds, drinking and dancing, and I tried to move my way between them and after the man as fast I could. I got to the steps and stayed out of his view. He was on the upper balcony, and I could see him take some girl by the arm and move away down the hall. I continued pursuing him, my hand moving ever closer to the gun under my shoulder. When I got up the hall, I looked down and saw no one. There was no one else in view either, only a few people were talking on the upper balcony. The hall was eerily quiet, so I stepped cautiously... Every so often a laugh would echo from the main dining area, causing me to look back over my shoulder. I was a bit frightened, it seemed to me someone was already on my tail.

      There were some faint murmurs coming from one room. I pressed my ear up against it and listened as carefully as I could.

      "No, I don't know! I've recieved no word about that. I don't think there's anything to be afraid of!" He must have been talking to someone else in the room as this whole town only had one phone located at the Bar.

      I heard a few more faint voices before the louder one spoke again.

      "If he's here, I'll go and take care of him right now. Stay here, Mary!" I heard his approaching footsteps so I stood directly infront of the door, my gun drawn. As soon as I saw the doorknob turn, I kicked the door open and busted in. On the ground was the suspicious fellow from before, a beretta in his hand. Holding a surprised hand to her chest was a girl on one of the beds, staring wide eyed at me. I kept my gun pointed at the man on the ground while I closed the door.

      "Get up, drop your gun," the man slowly got up, his hands above his head, "You, are you armed?" Keeping my gun aimed at the man, I looked over to the girl. She was breathing pretty heavily and looking a bit shaky, but I had to check anyway. She nodded her head vigorously.

      "To the bed," the man moved over to a bed and stood beside it, keeping his piercing gaze on me. He looked confident, and unafraid, his eyes were ablaze.

      "Look, let me explain myself..." he started, never changing his expression.

      "You were going to 'take care of me', is that it?" I cut him off, doing the tough-man thing.

      "Ok, we've had alot of strange people coming to this town lately, ok? I didn't know what was going on so I..."

      "So you happened to have a beretta, huh?" I was scowling at him, I could almost see his confidence flutter a little bit.

      "He's right... please, we don't want to hurt anyone..." The girl started talking. Quickly I aimed my gun at her, but seeing her nearly faint at that, I put the hammer down on my gun and engaged the safety. They didn't seem harmful.

      "What are your names?" My gun was back in its holster, and I was picked up the beretta from the ground, "I'm Rommel."

      "Gray," the man said.

      "M...Mary," she was stuttering, probably still shaken from having a gun pointed at her.

      "Tell me about these suspicious people," I was speaking calmly again.

      "Ever since about 3 weeks ago... a bunch of new people've been showing up. They've been real quiet, none of us ever seem to meet up with them except at gatherings like tonight," Gray was also as calm as he could be. He impressed me, I was surprised at how kept-together he was at this situation.

      "Were there any here tonight?" I asked.

      "I thought one was coming up after me..."

      "You don't mean me..?"

      "No..." he was a bit quiet now, his eyes shifted about the room.

      "Well..." I drew my gun again, "Both of you stay here."

      I crept over to the door again, keeping as quiet as I could be. There wasn't a single sound around us. It was too quiet. I stood arm's length from the door, turned the knob and threw it open, gun pointed out of the door way. Nothing. I got a few steps closer. When I got to the doorway, something flashed from my view. I jumped out into the hall, quickly looking both ways, I heard racing footsteps but saw nothing. I jumped back into the room, slammed the door and was greeted with being alone. Gray and Mary were gone. It also occured to me that the beretta I had taken from him was no longer in my pocket. I began to get fretful, so I ran to the window, and seeing it wide open, I jumped out into the cool spring night.

      Gray and Mary were running through the town square, and I was pursuing them. I didn't know what they were running from, but they were trying to hide something. Still running, I pulled my USP from my jacket and aimed, shouting, "Freeze!"

      Gray pushed Mary behind him, apparently shielding her, and shot at me. I ducked down, but the bullet was nowhere near me. I kept my gun pointed and insisted that he stepped down.

      "Gray, please stop! I don't know what you're running from but you have no reason to be afraid of me! We're in this together, alright?" He was still aiming the gun at me shakily. Something was wrong with him all of the sudden. He had lost all of the confidence and will-power I thought he had moments prior, "I'm not here to hurt anyone, alright, Gray?" I could see behind him that Mary was crying.

      Slowly, I started walking towards him. The square was only dimly light with streetlights. The moon hung over our heads, watching us with a mournful stare. Gray's gun was still up, but mine was lowered. I knew he wouldn't shoot me. When I got close enough to him, I could see his eyes were drained of all menace or strength. They were full of doubt and worry, something was certainly wrong. On the ground behind him was Mary, shaking with tears, keeping her eyes closed and her face towards the ground. Her black hair running of her back and onto the ground, her largish-glasses were collecting tears as they fell from her face.

      "Alright, just put the gun down. It'll be ok..." I put my hand on his shoulder, his eyes were still looking past me. Slowly, they widened, until they were a horrified stare, "Gray?!"

      I turned around to see what he was looking at, and all I saw was a moving bush and a quick flash of light. "Who's there?!" I called out, gun pointed.

      "No!!" Mary cried out. I turned back to Gray, seeing him clutching his side and aiming his gun. His hand seemed to lose strength and his gun fell to the ground. His legs started to give way underneath him but I caught him before he fell.

      "Gray!?" his face was white, his eyes locked in a widened stare into nothingness. Slowly his mouth fell open, and blood started to run from his lips. I called to him again. It took me a few moments to realize he had been shot.

      "Gray?! Gray! What happened, Gray?!" I set him on the ground, and noticed the gunshot in his stomach. Mary was weeping, convulsing. "Mary, run and get help, quick!"

      She stood up and was running to the restaurant. I held on to Gray, my hands already soaked in his blood.

      "Rommel..." his voice was weak, his eyes continued to stare at nothing.

      "Gray, don't speak, it'll be ok... just stay strong alright??"

      "Rommel... tell... tell them," he was coughing up profuse amounts of blood, "I couldn't... finish..."

      Townsfolk were running down the road from the restaurant.

      "It was... failure... it failed..." Grays mouth fell open. Blood had pooled around, I was practically drenched in it. His last words had made sense to me. He had failed the mission. I put my hand on his cold head, and closed his eyes.

      "What the hell happened??" A man dressed like a doctor came up to me. My gun was put away, I was still holding Gray. Mary was in her mother's arms crying. Many other people were standing around, just watching.

      "Move him, slowly... He's still alive!" The doctor helped me pick him up. His whole back was soaked through with his own blood. I could feel his faint heartbeat. It was struggling with all its energy to hold on. He was desperate not to die. Others came to help me and the Doctor, including a rather ordinary and casually dressed young man. Everyone came to the hospital, but only the Doctor and I, and the other quiet fellow came in.

      "Could you two wait here? We may need you..." The doctor told us to wait in the lounge while he closed the curtains. A girl busted through the door and ran behind the curtain with the doctor. I could hear her frail voice trembling when she spoke. She apparently was working here, too. She had short brown hair, and wore an apron. Me and the other fellow sat in silence, listening to the softly spoken words of the doctor and the girl. Eventually, the guy in the room with me spoke up.

      "What happened to him?" his voice surprised me a bit. I snapped to and replied as best I could.

      "Someone shot him. I didn't see who," I looked down at the floor.

      He sighed a very heavy sigh, rubbed his eyes, and wiped some sweat off of his forehead.

      "Already..." he said.

      "Already, what?" I retorted.

      "Nothing, don't worry about it," he leaned back in his seat, looking at the ceiling.

      "He said it was a failure," I was going on a whim here, hoping to get something out of this guy. Sure enough, his eyes widened and he looked straight ahead. I had hit the nail on the head.

      "He told you this?" there was astonishment in his voice. I nodded slowly, "God Almighty..."

      "The name is Rommel. I can only assume we're in this together," I held out my hand, I could feel his cold palms were racked with extreme worry. It seemed to rub off and anxiety overtook me.

      "Jack... codename 'steelfox'," he started, his mouth still ajar and his eyes still wide, "I can't believe this..."

      "What's wrong, what happened?"

      "Gray... Gray was in charge of securing an escape for civilians. Mission failure meant..." he choked up a little, and taking a deep breath he continued, "Mission failure meant, the outside is bugged."

      My heart sank. I knew what this meant. Informants have leaked and now the mission was in jeopardy.

      "Gray... why, how could he have failed??" My voice was raised at Steelfox.

      "We're not to start an uproar, you realize that, right?" I nodded, "Gray was going to work out a way to evacuate the civilians in as quick a manner as possible. His contact was apparently found... that's how he failed, now the Sons of Liberty know we're here."

      "S-Sons of Liberty?"

      "That's what they're calling themselves. They have some sort of secret weapon around here. They've been constructing it in secret for some time, without alerting the citizens," Steelfox wiped his forehead again, "There have been alot more people showing up lately. Strange people. Alot of us thought you could have been one of them."

      "Why doesn't the military just mobilize and send in troops?"

      "They were going to. If Gray could have worked out evacuation plans. But now that's impossible," He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, his hand grabbing and squeezing his forehead. He was sweating pretty badly, "There are only a couple other options now."

      I looked him straight in the face. I had an idea of what he was thinking.

      "One man mission. Send in one man to investigate, keep in constant communication with him while he tears the place down from the inside. Or..." he hesitated.

      "Or, what?" I said, lightly.

      "Lure them out. And have full scale battle right here in front of the people."

      I swallowed.

      "And why can't we do single man mission?"

      "They're location, their intents, their arms, strength, everything..." he started.

      "Yeah?"

      "All unknown."

      I shuddered. The situation looked bad, and every time I tried to look at something closer, it just looked worse. Just as Steelfox and I were about to lose all hope, the female doctor quietly slipped through the curtain. Steelfox and I both raised our heads up to her. She had a slight smile on her face.

      "Gray's stable," she started, "He's lost alot of blood but he should be alright after a while..."

      "Elli," Steelfox started but it looked like he was struggling to speak, "Th--Thank you..."

      Elli turned a bit red-faced and nodded. She glanced at me and noticed that I was still covered in Gray's blood.

      "Uhh..." She started, a bit wide-eyed. I looked at myself and noticed it too, "If you'd like to wash up..."

      "Oh, thanks," she lead me to a bathroom where I rinsed my clothes off.

---

      When I came back to the main room, Steelfox had left and Elli was lying asleep at the front counter. It was late, and so many of us were stressed out from these cataclysmic turns of events. My head was swimming as I stepped back out into the cold and unrelenting night. Such things made you feel so weak, As if you have no control over anything. I felt small and useless, and it was only my first day here. I shook off my self pity and started to walk home. Most of the houses still had their lights on, apparently many people were still shaken by the days events. Walking by the Library, I could see Mary at her desk. She was reading, or perhaps writing, something with a sullen look. The poor girl had been through alot, but I still had questions that needed answers... I thought it was too soon to question her, so I headed home.

      I kept my loaded USP on the bedside table that night. In fact, I barely slept. I was so on-edge that every sound caused me to jump. It appeared that I had come to the village just as the situation was a climax. Something was up, and I had very little time to figure it out. Regardless, I had to keep the farm running as to not seem suspicious. Finally, the great Sun's rays of light poored themselves into the cabin. The room was illuminated with a pleasing soft red-orange glow. A new day was in its beginnings.

      The day started off with tilling soil and ended with more casualties, however that came much later. The whole morning made me feel as if everything was finally okay. The wind was cool, the air was full and had the relaxing smell of grass and cedar. The sun painted the country-side into a beautiful mosaic. It was all an ironic juxtaposition to the feelings of the villagers. Insecurity, anxiety and worry were the majority.

      "Rommel?" I heard someone calling my name while I worked in the fields, "Rommel, you here?"

      Looking towards the gates, I saw Steelfox walking up carrying a very large case and wearing a black leather coat. He looked geared for battle, and that made me a little worried. I approached him nonetheless to see what needed.

      "Rommel, I got some hook-ups," he set the case down beside my house, and started to undo the latches, "I've managed to get in touch with some arms dealers," the case flew open, "I've got enough firepower in here to take down an army."

      The case was full of military weaponry, the kind of stuff only given to the truly elite. This was no stolen IMI and Kalashnikov arsenal...

      "Five-fifty-sixers, seven-six-two's and a mess of NATO approved firearms," Steelfox looked at me and the contents of the case with a slightly arrogant look. In all honesty, this was something to be very proud of.

      "Are we... getting military support?" I was slack jawed as I spoke.

      "I don't know why, but apparently the Military itself has agreed to issue us weaponry for the operation," Steelfox reached into the case and took hold of an assault rifle, "Everything in here is legitimate, I've got the paperwork to prove it."

      "So, um... do we have a plan, or what?"

      Steelfox remained silent a little while longer while he toyed with the AUG assault rifle he had taken from the case. I had trouble telling if he was completely enthralled with the gun, or completely clueless about what we were going to do about anything. As far as I knew, we had a decent load-out of guns, a town full of scared people, and very possibly an army of well-armed terrorists. Steelfox took an AUG magazine and opened up is coat a little to store it. I could see behind his coat were several more firearms and a rather bulky kevlar jacket.

      "Steelfox," I said with a slightly more forceful tone. He looked up at me as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "Why are you carrying several guns and wearing a bullet-proof vest?"

      "Well, Rommel. We may have some work to do tonight..." He stood up and slung the AUG around his back, "Let's go inside, bring the case."

      "Rommel," Steelfox sipped a glass of water I had brought him, "Do you know why Gray was hit for an assassination attempt?"

      I shook my head a little as I pressed 5.7 rounds into a P90 magazine.

      "Gray, as I told you, was working out a civilian evaction plan. This alone shouldn't be too big of a deal to much of anyone, right?" Steelfox's tone was upbeat. He seemed in a good mood, and full of confidence, "The reason this is such a big deal is that Gray has inside contact with the terrorists."

      This took me by surprise. I gasped slightly, but kept listening.

      "When the 'new-people' started showing up, Gray was responsible for showing one around town. After a while they had apparently became good friends. We put Gray in charge of civilian evacuation because he was the only one who had any knowledge about the terrorist's plans..."

      "Does that mean we're not totally in the dark here? What were their motives?" I said.

      "The terrorists, if you can even call them that, were planning on taking the whole town over and using it as a cover for their base of operations."

      "And...?"

      "And Gray, as with Gray's friend on the inside, didn't want to see everyone be murdered."

      "I guess that makes sense... so why did they hit Gray?"

      "Because they had hit the insider already, and they got him to talk. Gray was their next target..."

      "No interrogation, though?"

      Steelfox had his glass to his mouth, but he stopped before he took a drink. Speaking into his glass, with his eyes locked straight forward, he said, "Then they didn't mean to kill him yet."

      At that moment it occured to me that Gray, in fact, wasn't dead. Gray was frantic in the moments leading up to his attack, which would explain him running from me in the hotel, and the mysterious stranger in the bushes who did the actual shot. It also occured to me that Gray was unattended in the clinic he was staying in...

      "Steelfox!" I leapt up, loading the now-full magazine into a P90, "Gray's not being watched right now!"

      With a machine-like attitude of calmness and his eyes still locked in a deathly gaze, Steelfox put his glass down, stood up, and said "That is our mission, Rommel."

      Moments later, two figures dressed in long black over-coats were moving quickly down the road through the residential block. Steelfox and I were heavily armed, carrying heavy arms concealed rather conspicuously under our coats. We glanced about nervously as we swiftly walked, never saying a word to another, but occasionally nodding in greeting to a villager who turned and noticed us. The library was open as usual, and also as usual, Mary was behind her desk resting her head on her hand and writing something that I couldn't see. Finally we were standing infront of the Clinic, sweat running down our faces. I opened up the door...

      "Jack..." Elli was looking forlorn. The doctor stood nearby her and slowed turned his head to us when we walked in.

      "Jack, Rommel, could you please come with us?" The doctor motioned with his head and we followed him to the room Gray was in. Gray was still alive, but he was holding on desperately. His body was all white, and he was connected to respirators and other such medical devices that looked like they only served to emphasize their patient's pain. Basically, Gray was in bad condition and it looked very grim. We were thankful, however, that the sad looks Elli and the Doctor were giving didn't mean Gray was dead.

      "Gray was stable until just recently, we're unable to find out exactly what happened," the Doctor kept his eyes on Gray and spoke softly, his hand on his chin, "We've already informed family that Gray may not make it through this, but he did tell us that he wanted you two to know as well. Since then he hasn't been able to talk..."

      Steelfox and I kept watching Gray a few moments longer, before Steelfox finally spoke, "Thank you, Doctor. We'll stay in here with him a little while longer..."

      The Doctor left hurriedly, but Elli stayed a few seconds longer, just long enough for Steelfox's head to snap up with a suddenly revelation. He caught her just as she was leaving the room.

      "Elli..." Elli turned slowly, she was slightly blushed again, "Has Gray had any visitors since last night?"

      Elli stopped to think, "Several, er..." Her eyes veered off to the corner of the room as she looked very focused, "I could check the list if you want."

      "Would you please? Thank you, Ms. Elli..." Elli smiled and nodded, then briskly left for her desk. Me and Steelfox were alone with a dying Gray.

      "Steelfox, what are you thinking?"

      "He was doing fine, then his condition worsens today, and it seems to us like theres still an assassination in order. If someone got in here to see him, and left with the answers they needed..."

      Elli walked into the room once more carrying a clipboard, "Rommel, Jack?" We looked over our shoulders from our chairs to see her, "This morning at about 9am, he was visited by Mary..."

      "Uh-huh?" Steelfox was mentally checking people off in his mind.

      "At 11:45am by Saibara..."

      "Right..."

      "And at 1:30pm by..."

      Elli paused, looking perplexed at the paper. Steelfox again spoke up, "By...?"

      "I didn't get their name..."

      Steelfox and I sighed heavily. This seemed like the most likely suspect, whoever it was.

      "I'm sorry, I... well I've never forgotten to take a name before..."

      Steelfox and I stood up, and Steelfox approached her. As she usually did, she shrank back a little in his presence, "May I see that list?"

      "Sure..." she handed the list to Steelfox, still looking slightly confused. Steelfox eyed the list over and held it before her.

      "Elli, are you sure that's your handwriting?" he pointed to the nameless sign-in on the sheet.

      "It has to be, no one else ever touches it besides me. Not even the doctor..."

      I still stood by Gray's bed, not bothering to move. Alot was going through my mind, and when that happens I don't do much else besides think. Steelfox sighed a bit and handed the clipboard back to her. I looked at my watch and saw that it was only 1:45pm.

      "Hey, Steelfox..." my eyes were still on my watch. He turned slowly to me, "It's only 1:45 right now."

      Steelfox's eyes widened, and he turned back to Elli.

      "Elli... who was the last person to visit here, do you remember??"

      Elli stuttered a bit, "Maybe, I... geez, he wasn't familiar looking, I remember that..."

      Steelfox and I, once again, felt a looming sense of doom.

      "I don't remember his name. I don't really remember writing it down... He may not have gotten one from him."

      I sighed again and sat back down, my attention focused on Gray. I turned back just long enough to Steelfox move a bit closer to Elli and gently place his hand on her shoulder. She turned bright red, her eyes lit up. She looked like a little girl with a crush, but the situation was far too serious and she knew it well enough.

      "Elli, it's very important that we find this man. Do you understand?" Steelfox was talking to her softly and in a low tone. I could only imagine what he was thinking.

      "Yes, ofcourse, but..."

      "Please, Elli. We have to find him right now, do you remember anything about him? Anything at all?"

      Elli didn't say anything, but she was deep in thought.

      "He was wearing a black jacket. Sullen looking, didn't talk much. Black hair, he may have had a ponytail?"

      The description didn't fit anyone we knew and that was just the problem. In all likelihood, this mysterious person probably came in here to kill Gray off, and also just as likely, Gray talked. This was bad.

      "Elli, please do this for us... look over Gray, stand by him. Check him for anything, poisons, see if hes been touched at ALL today. We may have come too late but please, do this for us. It's extremely important, do you understand??" Steelfox sounded slightly frantic. His breathing was increasing and getting shaky. Elli nodded, with a wide-eyed look, and Steelfox turned back to me.

      "Rommel, we're gonna comb this place, you understand? Take any suspicious people that are still hanging around and question. Head to the bars, the fields, anything. Leave no stone unturned," Now his voice was authoritative, Steelfox was a powerful man, indeed.

      I acknowledged him and we hurriedly left, the only thing we said was to meet at the bar at 9pm. This was a crazy idea, but we had to do it. We had no alternative.

      The day was just getting into the shopping hours, so there were quite a few people milling about. My eyes shifted frequently, my hands deep in my coat pockets, feeling around at the guns I had strapped to my legs. Once or twice I would see someone with black hair, only to find out that it was a mother, or a father or a young girl. No one out of the ordinary seemed to be around in the residential area. I started asking around for this person...

      "Excuse me..." I tapped a girl on the back, she was busy watering flowers. She turned around, quickly, and I instantly realized that it was Mary.

      "Oh! Um, yes?" She straightened her posture and dusted herself off a bit.

      "Er, have you seen anyone move through here, who looked... well, conspicuous? I'm looking for someone with black hair, male, possibly in a ponytail..?" I was a little taken back while talking to her. I didn't really think why.

      "Well... no, not that I know of... Why? Is something wrong?" I couldn't tell her that Gray was possibly going to die. Her eyes were filling with sorrow quickly.

      "No, nothing. I just had to find this guy to ask him something real quick," to me my answer sounded like the most unnatural and half-assed attempt ever. But it looked like she bought it...

      "Oh, well..." she stopped for a moment. I didn't know what to do.

      "Well, I'll keep in touch. Bye, Mary," I waved and left as she did the same. I didn't realize that I wasn't smiling or looking friendly in the least. I should try to get my mind off some times sometimes...

      I walked by the vineyard and saw Duke standing in his fields. Working with him was a young man dressed in tunics of all things. He had brown hair, in a pony tail... I stopped and looked at him for a second. He looked back as he picked grapes off of the vines. Duke seemed to be monitoring him.

      "Duke?" Duke turned around to me, gave a friendly smile and walked towards me.

      "How may I help ya, Rommel?" He was as jovial as ever.

      "Look," I was whispering, "I'm looking for someone. I haven't seen him though, he's got black hair, possibly suspiscious looking because alot of villagers said they hadn't seen him before. He's supposed to have a ponytail too. Um, who is that guy, in your field?"

      Duke looked back, "Him? That's Cliff. Well he hasnt been here too long, but..."

      "How long?"

      "A couple months maybe? He hasn't made many friends since he got here though. He was only allowed to stay after he got a job here," Duke apparently didn't catch that I thought Cliff could be the one I'm looking for. That rather killed my suspicions but I had to check it out.

      "Would you mind if I had a word with him?"

      "Sure, one moment," Duke yelled for Cliff to come over to me. He stood leaning over the fence while I talked from the road. Duke walked off after he told Cliff I needed to speak with him.

      "Hi, Cliff was it?" I spoke calmly, trying to keep a friendly tone.

      "Yeah, that's right..." Cliff had a young voice, but his eyes were full of attitude. He had a kindly appearance however, and it only helped to further deny my suspicions. He continued on, "What seems to be the problem?"

      "Well, I've been looking for someone. Where were you today at about 2:30 pm?"

      Cliff looked at me for a second with his intense eyes, "I was here, at the vineyard," his expression barely changed as he spoke. He just kept his eyes locked on mine, and I returned the solemn stare.

      "Have you heard about Gray, Cliff?" I maintained my look.

      Again, Cliff didn't speak. His eyes slowly looked down and he sighed.

      "Is THAT what this is about?" He said as he looked at the ground, somewhat mournfully. I didn't speak. "Gray hasn't talked. They sent in someone to interrogate him but they couldn't break him. Now, Gray is more than likely going to be found dead of 'natural causes'. I think it's too late to save him. No one's probably noticed by now."

      "Cliff..."

      "I did a little snooping around. What did you say your name was?"

      "Rommel,"

      "Rommel, are you alone in this?"

      "I met up with one more."

      "Excellent, look. We're going to assemble at your farm tonight at 8pm, ok? Can you tell your friend to come too? Where is he by the way?"

      "He's looking for a man with a black ponytail..."

      "Well he's not going to find him. Look for him and tell him to meet at your farm at 8pm tonight, ok? I've got to finish up work here."

      Cliff turned quickly and called back to Duke, apologizing for taking so long. Cliff, as it turned out, was also part of this operation. It was comforting to hear that we had more people on the mission, but Cliff's tone was dire. Something was still probably very wrong. I headed off to find Steelfox.

      At about 3 in the afternoon I stepped into Doug's restaurant. It was late-dinner hours, so all of the single men sat at tables by themselves drowning their sorrows in drinks. The scene was too depressing to stand, but there I saw Steelfox, up at the balcony in the hallway that lead to the Inn-rooms. It was the exact same spot I had chased Gray to. When Steelfox saw me, he signaled me up and walked back into the hallway.

      "Steelfox, listen…" Steelfox and I were walking down the hallway, he hadn't said anything so I spoke up, "I found another agent working on the mission. He told us to meet at my farm at 8pm tonight."

      "Gray is dead," Steelfox's expression didn't change when he spoke. His eyes still stared half-open down the hallway.

      "He…He is?"

      "He was pronounced dead just a few minutes ago. Elli said she did everything she could," His eyes narrowed.

      "Does… Mary know?"

      "Mary is the one who told me. I went to check on it myself. He had apparently died of natural causes, but I know that's not true."

      "Where are we going?" It had suddenly occurred me to that Steelfox had stopped at the same hotel room in which I met up with Gray for the first time. Steelfox pulled a key from his pocket and opened the door.

      Within the room, Mary sat studying papers and guideline books. She looked up to see us as we went in. Her expression was hardened, but not sad. I glanced about cautiously, stopping at the doorway, as Steelfox continued in and had a seat at the bed adjacent to Mary.

      "What did you find?" Steelfox spoke to Mary.

      "A man came into the Library today…" She only looked at the floor. Despite her hardened expression, she was still nervous and shaky.

      "Anyone you know?" Steelfox said, trying to urge her on. She swallowed and continued.

      "No… No one I've ever seen. Not many people come into the Library. He said something to me…"

      "What did he say? Tell us, please…"

      "He said he'd kill me if I told anyone," Mary bit her lip and clenched her eyes. She now looked afraid and bewildered. I moved from the doorway closer to the two of them, and Steelfox looked back at me with a surprised expression.

      "We're not going to let that happen, do you understand?" I firmly spoke.

      Mary's watery eyes glanced back up at me. Seeing her face I recalled on the night in which Gray was shot before her very eyes, and I was powerless to stop it. I was overwhelmed with guilt in that single moment, and swore to not let anyone else's lives be wasted. My eyes narrowed at Mary, and she smiled with a sense that her life was safe in the hands of Steelfox and I.

      "He asked if I knew about Gray. I didn't know what he meant so I… I said yes. I only thought he meant I knew that he had been shot… but when I said yes he threatened me…"

      "He thinks she knows something?" I said to Steelfox.

      "Could be…" he said, his hand on his chin.

      "At first I was scared… He might have had a gun on him, I didn't know. But he just came in, asked me that, threatened me and left…" Mary wiped a tear from her eye. Her voice was still calm, "I came to you two because I didn't fear for my own life. I just wanted everything to be back to normal…"

      "Could he have bugged her, you think?" I moved closer to Mary and Steelfox stood up. Mary glanced at me cautiously.

      "Who knows. But Mary's done a brave thing here. Whether she's bugged or not, we're going to have to keep her under tight surveillance," Steelfox lowered to one knee in front Mary and placed his hand on her shoulder, "You're going to have to tell us everything about this man you saw, ok? Everything, what he looked like, what he was wearing, what he said… Do you understand?"

      Mary nodded.

      "Rommel, take her back to your house and don't let her out of your sight. It's very important that she stay alive. You've gone without sleep before, right Rommel?" Still kneeling down in front of Mary, he turned his head to me. His expression was the stern one from before that showed off his natural leader instincts.

      "'course I have," I said, raising an eyebrow as if to say 'what do you take me for, huh?'. Mary stood up and we started to leave.

      "Oh, and Steelfox," I stopped near the door, and looked back over my shoulder to Steelfox, who was dusting off his coat, "I met another operative. His name was Cliff and he told us to meet back at my place at 8pm."

      Steelfox went still and stared off, deep in thought, "Cliff..?" Steelfox's had a hand on his chin.

      "Cliff… That sounds strange to me. I'll look into it, alright? And I'll meet you at the farm at 8… Just stay safe."

      I waved him off and Mary and I headed out of the Inn room. It wasn't too late but the night had already swept over the village. The hallway was deadly quiet, but faint murmurs from drinking townsfolk could be heard in the main dining hall.

      "Mary," I said, softly.

      I could hear her quietly say "hm?" from behind me, but I didn't look back at her.

      "How are you feeling?" Was all I could think to say.

      "I'll be alright," she said with startling calmness.

      We arrived at the farm just as the sun had departed and cast an impenetrable fog of darkness across the land. In the country, you could barely see your hand before your face at night. I flicked the light on in my cabin. A dim, but pleasing light filled the room, and Mary stepped in quietly. Her soft black eyes peered about the room anxiously.

      "Need anything?" I said, tossing my jacket aside.

      Mary curiously glanced about and remained at the door way. She seemed entranced.

      "Mary?" she jumped at my words.

      "What? Oh… no, nothing…" She continued to stand against the door.

      I, however, pulled up a chair and dropped the magazine from my USP. Lighting up a cigarette I began a routine check on my weapon and Mary nervously stood at the doorway.

      "Well, have a seat or something," I motioned to her.

      She nodded and cautiously sat down at the seat across from me. I could see her eyes locked on the disassembled gun. Again she was in a trance-like state.

      "Cliff and Steelfox should be here any moment now," I said while keeping my eyes on my work, "If you're hungry or something, help yourself to the kitchen."

      Mary nodded but remained silent. Her demeanor was making me nervous. I could only assume she was very nervous herself, but it was certainly rubbing off onto me.

      There was a knock on the door just as I locked the slide back on to my USP. I holstered it and greeted Steelfox as he as he stepped in. Cliff was behind him; they seemed to have met and gotten acquainted. The four of us took seats and got down to business.

      "Alright, so I just got news from headquarters, ok?" Cliff was taking a seat and handed a glass of water before himself and mine, "They said we are free to act on our own accord, and that we should prevent anything from happening to Mary at all costs."

      "Why have they put such a value on her, huh?" said Steelfox.

      "The same reason the terrorists did," Cliff retorted.

      "This is a set up, something's not right about this whole mission, and Mary probably has something to do with it," said Steelfox, his eyes searing into Cliff's. Mary looked worried at this, almost guilty.

      "Hey, wait a minute," I cut in, "A set up or not, Mary could easily lead us to our target. Any one of us can see a development like that unfold pretty quickly, am I right?"

      "You want to use Mary then, huh?" said Cliff.

      "I…" Mary spoke shyly and turned her face downward, "I don't want to cause anyone trouble… Being used or not, I just want everything to be ok again…"

      A tear welled up in her eye and she blinked it off. Steelfox stood up and grabbed a glass from the table.

      "Well, there you have it," he said and he departed for the kitchen.

      "So, what… You're 'unconditionally' offering your help to us, huh?" Cliff said.

      "Y-Yes… what's wrong with that..?" She started.

      "Tell me," Said Steelfox, filling up a glass with water from the tap, "How did that encounter with this terrorist go?"

      "Well…" Mary swallowed once and told her story, "I left the library today and headed to the hospital. The streets were empty, but it was only around noon. When I got there, Elli told me that Gray's condition had already worsened and that he might not make it," Mary got a little bit choked up, but she took a deep breath and continued, "Elli told me it was best not to see him in the condition he was in, but there was no way I could let that happen. She took my name and I stepped into his room. By that time, the Doctor was already pulling the sheet over his face…"

      Mary closed her eyes and took another deep breath. She was on the verge of tears.

      "After Elli had extended her emotional support, she walked me back to the library. I fell asleep at the front counter soon afterwards. When I woke up, someone was standing in front of me wearing all black. He was against the sun so I couldn't clearly see his face," She glanced about as if trying to remember the details of the man, "After finding out my name, he said that if I said anything about Gray, he would come back for me."

      "Come back for you? Is that what he said?" I asked.

      "Yes. I thought he was going to kill me, I didn't know what to do… So I found Steelfox."

      Cliff hadn't said a word, but he nodded at every sentence. Steelfox took a seat back at the table.

      "I must say, you found me pretty fast," Steelfox said with a slight smile.

      "It was coincidence, I knew you knew Rommel and I really needed to see him... I had no idea you two were in this together," Mary seemed exasperated.

      "Well, it should be alright now. We'll wait until morning and find out more on this. It's quite a confusing situation as of yet…" Said Cliff, standing up and brushing off his pants, "I'll take my leave tonight. We're all counting on you Rommel." Cliff started for the door.

      "Wait, Cliff…" Said Steelfox. Cliff turned from the door, "You dropped this." Steelfox held a Glock handgun by the barrel outstretched to Cliff.

      Mary was curling herself up in my bed as Steelfox and I continued to talk into the night.

      "Well, Are you sure you can handle this alone? I'll stay here as long as I need to," said Steelfox.

      "It shouldn't be a problem. I can go one day without sleep," I replied.

      "Yeah, but I can't have you getting distracted. If you know what I mean…"

      "Hey…"

      "Um…" Steelfox and I both turned to Mary as she sat up from bed, "This was under the pillow… do you want this?" Mary was cautiously holding a handgun by the slide away from her body. Steelfox and I exchanged awkward glances at one another and sighed.

      By midnight, Mary was already asleep and Steelfox was preparing to leave.

      "I'll stay up into all hours of the night looking into this. Don't let anything get by you," Steelfox said as he stood outside of the door.

      "Will do. Be careful on your way back," We nodded to one another and he disappeared into the night. I sighed and took my seat again at the table. There was nothing to do now but watch Mary sleep for several more hours. The rest of the room was completely still. Three glasses stood on the table from the meeting. Papers were strewn about and my box of munitions was inconspicuously thrown open in the corner of the room. Steelfox's arms case was on top of my tool box. Seeing Mary sleeping reminded me of my long lost Maria. Even their names were similar, I thought. Mary looked so tranquil as she slept. Her nervousness was at least temporarily passed as she lay quietly curled up on the bed. I rubbed my eyes, it seems like I was quickly becoming tired afterall. I couldn't help but day dream while watching Mary there.

      I remember I used to come home late from working on the farm, and seeing Maria there are already in bed. I was always so tired and worn out, but it all seemed worth it to come home and see my wife waiting for me. Something was missing though. As I was lost in day dreams, I couldn't place Maria's face. Had I put that memory behind me already? I couldn't even remember my beloved wife's face, the woman I couldn't protect. I snapped back with a start as a shrill voice pierced my ear drums.

      "Rommel!!" Mary was being dragged through the room by a man dressed entirely in black.

      "Mary!" I yelled as I jumped from my seat, but I was already tied down, "Mary!!"

      I flailed in my seat and fell over on my side. I was tied tight with thick rope. I drifted off for a mere couple of minutes and I was already seized. I struggled at the ropes until veins bulged from my neck and face. Mary was giving a hell of a time to the kidnapper and neither had left the room yet. Both of us struggled until the man in black pulled out my handgun from his own pocket. I stopped and Mary went limp as her eyes filled with fear. Grabbing her by the hair, the man fled for the door. I called out Mary's name one last time as she was dragged screaming from my sight.

      Frantically I continued to flail in my seat. I could feel blood running from my wrists where the ropes were cutting into my skin. This didn't bother me, the only thing on my mind was finding that man and tearing him to pieces with my bare hands. At long last, one of the legs from the chair broke and I was able to use my now freed foot to loosen the ropes on the other leg. Within a few more minutes, I was free from my restraints and was dashing out into the night unarmed.

      The assailant was long gone, but I had to find Steelfox. Running through the cool Spring night, I realized an overcast had settled in and not so much as moonlight lit my path. I managed to find my way to the Inn in the darkness and began banging on the door with full force.

      "What… What is it?!" Ann threw open the door and stopped when she saw me covered in my own blood.

      "Where's Jack staying??" I demanded of her. She stepped to the side.

      "Um… room 14 I think… What's this about?" I ignored her and proceeded up the stairs to room 14. Throwing open the door I saw Steelfox sitting cross legged among a floor strewn in papers.

      "Rommel?!" He said, startled at my appearance.

      "Steelfox! We have a problem!"

-

      Steelfox and I were fully suited and well armed. The night was too heavy set for anything productive to get done; yet we were both awake pacing back in forth in my cabin. We proceeded with a false sense of hope.     "There's too much missing here," Steelfox said, "Mary's story was full of holes. And just where the hell did Cliff have to run off to?? He was in an awful rush…"

      "What of Mary's story?" I spoke.

      "You didn't find it odd? Just head right back home from the hospital and fall asleep. Then what's more she can't even recall the face of the man that approached her because 'the sun was against him'?"

      "What about it?" I said.

      "The windows to her Library face North. How could the sun have been in the sky to blind her from seeing this guy?"

      "That's easy. The sun didn't have to be suspended on the guy's back, she could have easily been dazzled from the sunlight, regardless where the sun was in the sky."

      "Oh? Even if it were setting?"

      I stopped for a second to think about this.

      "She came to me at around 6pm. Now we're still early in spring, the days are short… The sun would have started its decent at least half an hour ago."

      "This seems like it has a few too many holes," I said, still taking in Steelfox's words.

      "Who is this _man that approached her anyway? Where did he come from and what did _he_ have to gain by keeping Mary quiet?"_

      "That's easy, suspicions on Gray's death. She was there when he was hit and to watch him die…"

      "That's not enough. I suspect you would have run into a little trouble too, by that logic."

      "She's just a girl, easily swayed by big men with threatening words…"

      "Look, Rommel, you're missing the point… Her story just doesn't check out. Brave or no, I just can't imagine a girl like her immediately running for help after getting a threat like that. She didn't have a single detail on him and tried to write it off by saying the sun was blinding her. There's a lot missing…" Steelfox had smitten me with logic yet again. I remained silent.

"And Cliff; he came here armed. No big deal, I thought. But why did he place his handgun so close to the bed?" Steelfox said, still pouring forth more logic that had never reached me.

      "He did what? You seemed to act like he just dropped his gun…"

      "It was planted. It had to have been; the only time he was near your bed was when he fetched you a glass of water. That was quite a glass of water, wasn't it?"

      "The water. I should have known…"

      "He drugged us… Back in my quarters I became drowsy, but in retrospect I only had a couple sips out of my glass…"

      "That's a bit of a risk on his part, isn't it? And besides, what does this all mean anyway? Why did Cliff drug me and what does Mary have to gain by lying to us? For what reason did Cliff plant a loaded Glock at my bedside..?" I was growing exasperated.

      "Easy. They're in on it." Steelfox spoke with his same serious tone. My heart sank at these words.

      "No… No way! Now, come on, that's just…" I was at a loss for words. It was too obvious, yet they managed it past the 2 of us without fail.

      "Think about it, Rommel. Gray and Mary were close. She had him done in… Cliff was setting it up so it would be easy to take Mary back with him and make it look like a kidnapping. Now they're probably going to lure us into something…" Steelfox began pondering. I rubbed my eyes heavily and shook my head.

      "Now wait… why did they spare me? What value are we to them?"

      "That's… what I'm working out…"

      I sat on the floor with my head in my palms. My wrists burned beneath the bandages that I had tightly wrapped about them. The whole situation had elevated to levels of complete pandemonium. Steelfox remained hand-writing reports on my table while I sat and pondered the holes and misleading bits of information Cliff and Mary had left for us.

      Suddenly Steelfox stopped his writing. I lifted my head to see what he was doing. His face was perked up and looking intense. His eyes darted about the room.

      "What do you..?" I started.

      "Shh," he stopped me.

      I listened closely for a few moments. The absolute faintest sound of shuffling feet and clanging metal was heard outside. It sounded like the wind blowing against a rickety tool shed. Steelfox's handed silently moved for his coat pocket. I followed suit.

      "Let's not get paranoid…" Steelfox whispered.

      I nodded as I clicked down the safety on my USP. As I twisted my head to the side to get a glance out of the window, I saw what looked like a red LED. It jerked about for a moment, then disappeared. A bead of sweat ran down my face, and before I knew it, me and Steelfox were in complete darkness.

      "Get down!!" Steelfox shouted.

      The silence of the night was violently broken as an eruption of gunfire split forth. I could feel pieces of splintered wood showering all over my body. I remained as I vainly covered my head with my hands. The only bit of light was the flare of automatic weapons. It was deafeningly loud and it seemed to never end. At the break of gunfire I could hear approaching steps. I stood up and started unloading round after round from my sidearm into the darkness. I could catch an ephemeral glance of soldiers dressed entirely in black with each shot. I couldn't count them if I tried. Knowing I was surrounded, I felt at a loss. I don't remember what happened in those following moments.

-

      "Why are you home so late?" Maria rubbed her eyes as she sat up from bed.

      "I'm sorry. The folks at the dock needed help unloading a shipment from overseas," I hung my coat up on the door rack. I started to take off my shoes whilst unbuttoning my over-shirt.

      "You're always home late. Come home early, just once. I worry about you."

      "I know, I know. But I have to work like this if I plan to stay in the village, you know that…"

      "So forget the village. Lets move away somewhere, just us. Alone, together… forever."

      "Forget the village? You know I can't do this… This village means so much to me."

      "More than me? Is that what you mean to say?"

      "No… Maria, ofcourse not. Don't jump to these conclusions…"

      "You don't really love me, do you… You've probably been seeing another woman. That's it, isn't it? That's why you're always home so late."

      "Maria! Get a hold of yourself, you know I would NEVER…"

      "What ever happened to just the two of us, Rommel?"

      Words swirled about in my head. I could see the faint outline of my house in the night. The frame in my mind was like watching a television set. The flare of gunshots lit up the stage momentarily enough for me to see the house surrounded in armed men. With every gunshot I could see myself among them, as they fell one by one. Still they approached, and in a heap I collapsed. Darkness settled in once more. Was that truly me I was watching? Had I any control over what I saw? Why could I hear Maria's voice?

      I blame madness. My life had never set on what I would call a normal course since that day. Even now I could hear the voices from that day. The friendly neighbor greetings, the sweet voice of my wife. The screams, pandemonium. It was a new year, a new start for many of us. Maria and I, on the dock. Fireworks in the sky. They were the only true memories that made me human. But only if I knew, if only WE knew. Why was I left to be the only one alive? In actuality, I was the only one to die. I had lost myself, forever.

      "He's truly amazing," someone said. I don't care who.

She called me Rommel… there's no way she could have known me as Rommel. A dream, this is all just a dream… Maria would never have said those things to me. My head hurts… Why does Maria still haunt me like this?? I loved her more than anything… She knows I'm sorry. I'll never live that down, for as long as I live. Why are you calling me Rommel! That's not my name!

      My name? My name, you say… I had already forgotten.

      What came next was when it all came together. Now I can finally end this tale.

To be concluded.


End file.
